Mistborn Tarot (Critique and Discuss)

[Kingsdaughter613]

I’m still hoping one of the mods can reopen my old tarot thread in Mistborn. Until then... Please be aware that most of these cards were made four years ago.

These cards are hypothetical tarot deck from Era 3 Mistborn:

The Fool: Retaining it’s name from pre-Catascande Scadrial, it represents beginnings. Hence the Lord Mistborn heading from the World of Ash to the Anteverdant one.

The Sovereign/The Fullborn (The Magician): This card was called the Mistborn in pre-Catascande Scadrial. Post-Catascande gave it the name Fullborn, and it has slowly transitioned toward being called the Sovereign. It represents Power and Manipulation. The Sovereign points to the four suits (Bands, Medallions, Spears and Metals or Spikes) representing his mastery of them. 

As the card becomes more strongly identified with The Sovereign, some interpreters have begun pairing it with the Survivor and creating unique meanings based upon the drawing of both cards. This has yet to become widely accepted, however.

(If you know the RL history of this card you should know why Kelsier is so perfect for it.)

The Misting (the Priestess): This card retains its name from pre-Catascande Scadrial. It represents Intuition and Secrecy. It is unclear when the cards began displaying Beldre, wife of the Lord Mistborn, but she is the most common portrait in modern tarot decks.

(Do you have any idea how hard it is to substitute Lunar imagery because Scadrial doesn’t have a moon? Literally all I remember from making this card.)

The Lady (The Empress): Also known as the High Lady. There is no mystery to Lady Alriane’s place on this card; her many discourses on a woman’s role in society have made her the perfect depiction of Feminity, represented by this card.

The Lord Ruler (The Emperor): Pre-Catascande this card’s upright and reversed meanings were switched. Skaa readers traditionally swapped the meanings and today that is the accepted interpretation. It represents Domination and Authority.

(Considering Scadrial’s history it made more sense for the meaning to be reversed.)

The Obligator (The Hierophant): The Last Obligator adorns this card, as quickly became customary after the Catascande. This card represents Tradition and Government.

The Lovers: Another card that retains its name, the Imperial pair represent Love.

The Hound/The Guardian (The Chariot): Featuring the Guardian, the Hound card represents Determination and Self-restraint. Indications are that this card may have always featured a large dog of some sort.

Strength: The Strength card is often misunderstood, as it does not refer to physical strength. Rather, it represents Integrity.

The Kandra (The Hermit): Custom has it that this card features OreSeur, the Kandra who served the Survivor. It represents Introspection and Isolation.

Fortune (Wheel of Fortune): Unsurprisingly, this card represents luck.

Death/Ironeyes (Justice): Once known as the Inquisitor, this card was often referred to as ‘Death’ by both nobles and Skaa. So it’s not all that surprising that it became associated with Ironeyes. 

This card can be paired with The Survivor to create a unique trump pair known as The Brothers. In readings the two cards are said to symbolize familial relationships. Note that the Sovereign cannot pair with Ironeyes.

As with the Lord Ruler, Skaa traditionally reversed the meanings of this card. However, this tradition has faded due to the card’s association with Ironeyes, who is viewed as a more just figure (albeit a terrifying one.) This card represents Law.

Sacrifice (The Hanged Man): The Sacrifice card is an old one and it represents Insight.

The Survivor (Death): This card has a fascinating history. The earliest versions call it Dust or Death, and it portrayed the Deepness. Pre-Catascande Nobles called this card the Deepness and portrayed it traditionally with dark swirls. Skaa were not taught religion in the Final Empire, so when the game made its way to them they - rather ironically - began referring to the card as The Mist. When the cards began being used for divination, this one came to represent Change.

The Survivor quickly became associated with the Mists and no one can deny that he was - and is - a tremendous force of change. So it’s rather understandable that he became associated with this card.

(In case anyone is confused: RL Tarot Decks have a Justice and Death card. Scadrians call the former Death and the latter the Survivor.)

Edited February 16 by Kingsdaughter613

[Argent]

9 hours ago, Kingsdaughter613 said:

I’m still hoping one of the mods can reopen my old tarot thread in Mistborn. Until then... Please be aware that most of these cards were made four years ago.

I am not familiar with the situation, I imagine the old thread just got locked after a period of inactivity. Is there more to the story, or do you want it unlocked just to keep the conversation all in the same place?

[Kingsdaughter613]

24 minutes ago, Argent said:

I am not familiar with the situation, I imagine the old thread just got locked after a period of inactivity. Is there more to the story, or do you want it unlocked just to keep the conversation all in the same place?

The original thread blogged the creation process of the first twelve cards. It discussed the process of picking characters, the symbology, the various materials used, etc. I thought it would be nice, now that I’m continuing this, to continue the original thread so anyone interested could see the process.

Hi, btw! I saw you followed me on Instagram! Thanks!

[Argent]

10 minutes ago, Kingsdaughter613 said:

The original thread blogged the creation process of the first twelve cards. It discussed the process of picking characters, the symbology, the various materials used, etc. I thought it would be nice, now that I’m continuing this, to continue the original thread so anyone interested could see the process.

Hi, btw! I saw you followed me on Instagram! Thanks!

I am okay with this, find the original thread, you should be able to report it - just mention in the report that you would like the thread unlocked, and that I say it's fine (as we don't usually allow necro-ing of old threads), and someone is going to get to it.

[Kingsdaughter613]

34 minutes ago, Argent said:

I am okay with this, find the original thread, you should be able to report it - just mention in the report that you would like the thread unlocked, and that I say it's fine (as we don't usually allow necro-ing of old threads), and someone is going to get to it.

Okay! Thank you so much!

For some reason I can’t seem to report the thread? It’s here anyway: 

Thanks so much!

Edited January 18, 2021 by Kingsdaughter613

[Narcoleptic Axolotl]

I'm not familiar with Tarot, but I like the artwork. Good job, especially since most of the coloring was done in crayon. You don't see that a lot.

I'm fascinated with Lord Ruler-era Scadrial (and the period right after the Catacendre), so these are really cool in my opinion. My favorites are the Fool and the Lady. I like the Hound too, just because TenSoon is the best character in any book.

[Kingsdaughter613]

13 minutes ago, Narcoleptic Axolotl said:

I'm not familiar with Tarot, but I like the artwork. Good job, especially since most of the coloring was done in crayon. You don't see that a lot.

I'm fascinated with Lord Ruler-era Scadrial (and the period right after the Catacendre), so these are really cool in my opinion. My favorites are the Fool and the Lady. I like the Hound too, just because TenSoon is the best character in any book.

Brief rant: Oil pastels are not crayons!!!! Example:

That is oil pastel. You cannot do that with mere crayons.

Crayons are for melting down to drip on canvas wi- wait, what do you mean that’s not how you use crayons? (That is totally how I use crayons.)

Rant end.

I’m basically trying to create a history for Tarot on Scadrial. Started as a game and then became used for divination. The rest I’m figuring out as I go. It’s a lot of fun!

[Narcoleptic Axolotl]

It looks like crayon. You should make crayon fan art, so I can better see the difference. 

[Kingsdaughter613]

25 minutes ago, Narcoleptic Axolotl said:

It looks like crayon. You should make crayon fan art, so I can better see the difference. 

The picture in the frame doesn’t. It looks like a painting and it’s made with the same oil pastels.

Here is some crayon art:

Like I said, crayons are for melting down and dripping on canvas.

[Argent]

4 hours ago, Kingsdaughter613 said:

Okay! Thank you so much!

For some reason I can’t seem to report the thread? It’s here anyway: 

Thanks so much!

Ah, looks like another another mod sniped the unlocking. I can move everything from this one there, lock this one, or let you handle it all on your own (or any combination of these).

[Kingsdaughter613]

12 minutes ago, Argent said:

Ah, looks like another another mod sniped the unlocking. I can move everything from this one there, lock this one, or let you handle it all on your own (or any combination of these).

Thanks you!

Right now I’m leaning toward leaving this one open for now as a showcase, as the other thread is more a story about the individual cards and their particular symbology and meaning. Would that be alright?

[Argent]

Sure, have fun!

[Kingsdaughter613]

39 minutes ago, Argent said:

Sure, have fun!

Thanks!

[Wyndlerunner]

I am really impressed the levels you went to create a tarot deck that fits within Scadrial's world history and mythology. I honestly thought it would just be a Mistborn themed Tarot deck, but this is pleasantly much deeper. Awesome work!

[Kingsdaughter613]

24 minutes ago, Wyndlerunner said:

I am really impressed the levels you went to create a tarot deck that fits within Scadrial's world history and mythology. I honestly thought it would just be a Mistborn themed Tarot deck, but this is pleasantly much deeper. Awesome work!

Thank you! Tarot has a fascinating history.

When I originally began designing the deck I thought it would develop around Wax and Wayne’s time. I’ve since decided it makes more sense for the game to have developed much earlier. The divinatory element happened much later, probably around a century or two before the FE fell.

Probably my favorite card as far as meanings go is The Sovereign as The Magician. Both the interpretation and the history work with the character - an old name for the Magician was the trickster, aka. The Conman! Could I put anyone but Kelsier on it?

[Lunu’anaki]

This is really good work and the implementation of lore into this is great!!

Totally unsolicited suggestions: Maybe Vin and Elend could be the Emporer/Empress? I feel like the lord ruler fits The Devil as a card far better than the Emporer.  On the note of the lord ruler-- The Tower could be replaced with Kredik Shaw!

Keep doing your thing though, don't listen to me!! This is a fantastic idea and I bet if you digitize the art and find a way to get them printed when you have a complete deck people would buy them! (I know I would)

[Kingsdaughter613]

38 minutes ago, Lunu’anaki said:

This is really good work and the implementation of lore into this is great!!

Totally unsolicited suggestions: Maybe Vin and Elend could be the Emporer/Empress? I feel like the lord ruler fits The Devil as a card far better than the Emporer.  On the note of the lord ruler-- The Tower could be replaced with Kredik Shaw!

Keep doing your thing though, don't listen to me!! This is a fantastic idea and I bet if you digitize the art and find a way to get them printed when you have a complete deck people would buy them! (I know I would)

I can’t sell them, unfortunately. I’m pretty sure that would be illegal. I can still print them as decks to give away though! I’ve still got dozens of cards to complete first, however.

The Lord Ruler was on the card back when Tarot was just a game. The Lady is associated with feminity in a way Vin isn’t, and Vin isn’t viewed as a noble woman. The association between TLR and the Lady are not the same as the Emperor and Empress cards of our world. Just like Justice and Death aren’t particularly connected in our world, but the Scadrian versions of those cards are.

Ruin is on the Devil card. Scadrial doesn’t really have our concept of the devil, but Ruin is probably closest.

The Tower is the Catascande.

The card images were chosen for the meanings of the cards, as opposed to similarity to our cards. The meanings interested me more than the specific images. It’s more “what would a Scadrian associate with this concept” than “what in their world matches the card image most closely,” if that makes sense.

[Lunu’anaki]

11 hours ago, Kingsdaughter613 said:

I can’t sell them, unfortunately. I’m pretty sure that would be illegal. I can still print them as decks to give away though! I’ve still got dozens of cards to complete first, however.

Ahhh. Yeah... that was my 4am brain talking  my apologies for even suggesting it.

11 hours ago, Kingsdaughter613 said:

The Lord Ruler was on the card back when Tarot was just a game. The Lady is associated with feminity in a way Vin isn’t, and Vin isn’t viewed as a noble woman. The association between TLR and the Lady are not the same as the Emperor and Empress cards of our world. Just like Justice and Death aren’t particularly connected in our world, but the Scadrian versions of those cards are.

Ruin is on the Devil card. Scadrial doesn’t really have our concept of the devil, but Ruin is probably closest.

The Tower is the Catascande.

The card images were chosen for the meanings of the cards, as opposed to similarity to our cards. The meanings interested me more than the specific images. It’s more “what would a Scadrian associate with this concept” than “what in their world matches the card image most closely,” if that makes sense.

I see! That makes a lot of sense!! It's a very cool project and I can't wait to see where you go with it  Thank you for sharing!!

[Kingsdaughter613]

9 minutes ago, Lunu’anaki said:

Ahhh. Yeah... that was my 4am brain talking  my apologies for even suggesting it.

I see! That makes a lot of sense!! It's a very cool project and I can't wait to see where you go with it  Thank you for sharing!!

You’re welcome!

[Kingsdaughter613]

New Card: Harmony (Temperance)

Interestingly, this card had this name prior to Harmony’s Ascension. Unsurprisingly, Harmony himself ended up adorning it. This card represents Balance.

[Kingsdaughter613]

Ruin (The Devil)

Scadrial has no Devil, but Ruin fulfills a similar role in their theology and lore. This card’s name is quite old, but the image of Ati is something only seen post-Catascande. This card represents the Shadow Self and Attachments.

[Kingsdaughter613]

The Catacendre (The Tower)

The Catacendre, representing Upheaval and Transformation. The original name of the card was the Ashmounts, but it changed over the first century following the Catacendre.

Edited January 31, 2021 by Kingsdaughter613

[Kingsdaughter613]

The Ascendant Warrior (The Star)

The Ascendant Warrior represents Hope, Faith and Renewal as she slowly descends into the Mists. This card is sometimes called the Ascendant’s Field. It is paired with The Last Emperor to form Scadrial’s second unique trump.

[Kingsdaughter613]

The Mists (The Moon)

The Mists represent Illusion and Intuition. Preservation, to whom the Mists once belonged, is presented on this card. The name predates the Catacendre, though the current image is a more recent invention.

Scadrial doesn’t have a moon. Which was rather annoying when I got to this card.

[Kingsdaughter613]

The Last Emperor (The Sun)

The Last Emperor pairs with The Ascendant Warrior to create Scadrial’s second unique trump pair. The two cards are sometimes referred to as the Stars and Sun or the Imperial Pair.

The Last Emperor represents Positivity and Optimism. Indications are that his position on this card came as result of the Ascendant Warrior card. As The Ascendant Warrior represents the night, so too does the Last Emperor represent the day.

The four Marewill flowers represent the four minor arcana suits.